OVERVIEW: A British air-delivered cluster bomb, the BL.755 is designed for anti-armor and soft-target strikes. It dispenses a large number of bomblets over a target area for saturation attacks against enemy vehicles and formations.

DETAIL: The BL.755 was developed by Hunting Engineering in the UK during the late 1960s and entered service in 1973 with the Royal Air Force. The designation "BL" stands for Bomb, Live, and the munition contains 147 submunitions tailored for anti-armor roles. Each bomblet features a shaped charge to penetrate armored targets. The system disperses bomblets in flight via a time-delayed mechanism to blanket enemy positions.

The No.2 CB introduces radar proximity fuzing in place of the original mechanical timer. This change allows for more consistent and altitude-independent bomblet dispersion. It retains the same quantity and type of submunitions but improves deployment reliability in varied attack profiles.

It was designed for low-level attack runs and programmed to release its payload at optimal altitude, enabling broad submunition coverage against armored formations.

SPECIFICATION:
Weight: ~600 lb (272 kg)
Length: ~8.2 ft (2.5 m)
Diameter: ~16 in (406 mm)
Warhead: 147 × HEAT bomblets (AAA anti-armor)
Guidance: None (unguided)
Fuse: Radar proximity

PERFORMANCE:
Range: Dependent on release altitude/speed
Coverage: ~200 x 400 m area (submunition pattern)
Penetration: ~150 mm RHA (per bomblet)
Accuracy: Ballistic; low-level delivery enhances dispersion precision

NOTE:
IOC: 1973
Operators: United Kingdom, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Oman, India
Platform: SEPECAT Jaguar, Harrier GR.3, Tornado GR1
Conflicts: Falklands War, Gulf War

SOURCE:
Royal Air Force Museum: https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/collections/bl755-cluster-bomb/
UK Parliament Records: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2007-05-15/debates/07051557000002/ClusterMunitions
Ministry of Defence UK (archived): https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
Armament Research Services (ARES): https://armamentresearch.com/